The Sacramento Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest will be burning a combination of hand and slash piles in November and December when conditions and weather are favorable. The piles are located along the Alamo Peak road, and in Dry Burnt and Long Canyons near the Sixteen Springs community. The combination of pile burn areas will total approximately 1,000 acres.

The purpose of the project is to reduce hazardous fuels following thinning and fuelwood removal activities. Reducing hazardous fuels will help reduce the threat of high-severity wildfire to the public, adjacent private property and natural resources in the wildland- urban interface area near surrounding communities. Treatments will help fire managers reintroduce fire into a fire-adapted ecosystem, thus improving forest health, forest structure, forest resiliency and wildlife habitat. Smoke may be visible from the communities of Cloudcroft, Weed, Sacramento, Mayhill, Sixteen Springs and Timberon. Smoke may have a limited effect on Highway 82,130, and the Sunspot Highway. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico DOH website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.

For additional information about this prescribed fire, contact the Sacramento Ranger District at (575) 682-2551. For more information about the Lincoln National Forest on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LincolnNF, visit www.fs.usda.gov/lincoln, or on Twitter @LincolnUSForest.